To enhance your experience as a paddler at this year’s Victoria Dragon Boat Festival, Absolute Therapy will once again be on-site providing Registered Massage Therapy sessions. Whether you have a chronic injury that needs some attention, or you just want a little extra blood flow through those tired arms – we’ll be there to help!
Massage Therapy is a great adjunct to any
training program, but as a therapist who spends a lot of time with paddlers I
can safely say that I know this particular group of athletes to be more aptly
susceptible to a variety of overuse injuries. Dragon boat paddling requires the
use of many muscle groups all working together in complete synchronicity to
achieve the optimal paddling stroke. The pelvis movements power the mobility of
the upper body during a stroke making a paddler vulnerable to glute and low back
injuries, while the high-powered resistance movements of the torso and shoulder
girdles can often result in upper body muscular imbalances and strains. When
used as part of maintenance regime, Massage Therapy treatments help to maintain
proper muscular tone in all of these muscle groups.
A Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) is
trained to assess and treat all soft tissue anomalies, and can also help to
provide their clients (YOU!) with a personalized self-care routine to help avoid
any of these pesky overuse and strain injuries. Low back strains, frozen
shoulder injuries, pelvic, leg and upper body muscular imbalances are just a
few of the issues that I commonly help my paddling clients overcome to achieve
optimal body functioning and strength. Your RMT can help guide you through the
process of treating any chronic or acute injuries, and then provide you with
the tools you need to help avoid the recurrence of these injuries in the
future.
So what can you expect when you see an RMT
for the first time? They will likely ask you a variety of health history
questions, including the occurrence of any past injuries you may have incurred,
and then take you through a series of range of motion and strength assessments;
this helps your therapist to determine specifically which muscular groups need
focus. Your massage treatment will then consist of work on the primarily
affected tissues, as well as helping to relieve tension created in any compensatory
areas (ie: if your low back is killing you, you’re probably starting to
compensate for this with other muscle groups as well!). Following the massage,
your RMT can then design a home-care routine of stretching and strengthening
exercises designed specifically for you, so that you can work on maintaining
the results of your treatment and avoiding the continuance of the symptoms
you’re experiencing. The road to recovery can at times be long (depending on
how long the injury has been around) and require both patience and hard work on
your part, but your RMT is there to guide and support you through this process.
Our job is to help you achieve your goals of optimal health and paddling excellence!
Massage treatments will be available from
8:30am til 4:00pm, both Saturday, August 17 and Sunday, August 18, 2013. Feel free to come by
the Massage Tent (located just inside Paddlers Village) and say hi –
we are always happy to answer any health related questions or concerns you
have, and if you’re interested in treatment please remember to sign up early,
as spots are sure to fill up fast! Treatments are by donation (minimum $10 for
a 15 minute session) with all proceeds going to the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival
Society.
Happy paddling!
By Tiffany Pelletier, RMT at AbsoluteTherapy
